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Thursday, January 31, 2008

REPERCUSSIONS...have a heart!

All over the news yesterday was the report of how pets are being effected by the financial losses and burdens of their owners.

I frankly did not think of this as being something to add to the worries of abandoned pets...but here it is.

These pets owners are losing their jobs and homes and moving on, leaving their pets behind in the foreclosed homes or lost apartments. These animals are being found in garages, basements and on the streets the news stories are reporting. This is putting extra burden on local shelters that are always full on a usual day.

We are heading into tough times for animals as the resources get tighter. It is a national. if not international, problem that will take everyone's efforts to manage.

I have noticed that pet food companies, such as Pedigree, are addressing homeless animal needs in their ads. They make the point that for every shelter animal that gets a home another is left behind. They promote adoption. Everyone's mantra should be "spay, neuter, adopt!"...

We have so many challenges ahead of us in this economy that effects us all. It makes us seriously rethink how we spend our hard earned money.

A few thoughts:

When you shop for sale items for the household, try to remember the local animal shelter near you and add a couple of food items or cleaning supplies that you can drop off to the shelter.

Do you have some towels or blankets that you might replace in your spring cleaning this year that you can donate to a shelter? They often can use these for the kennels. Sometimes when you can't make a monetary donation you can give some needed items that you may already have on hand.

The best thing to do, if you haven't done it yet, is to visit your local animal shelter in person, or on line if they have a site, and see if they have a needs list. Keep it with your shopping list and if you find a good sale while shopping at your local super-store grab a few of these extra items and make the donation!

If we all to a little together it adds up to really make a difference.

We have to be conscious of the suffering of these animals who bring so much to our lives.

Every time I look at my own happy and spoiled and much loved pets I think of how great they have it...it makes me want to help the ones who don't know this kind of life.